Initial D: The Next Stage
by NekoZUKI2013
Summary: Last spring, an assembled team, whom called themselves Project D, started racing everywhere outside of the Gunma prefecture. They raced areas such as Tochigi, Saitama, and Ibaraki. By the end of the summer, they had completed their goal, leaving a well-known legacy behind them… Now the team was preparing to go professional. Will it be smooth sailing? or will they crash and burn?
1. Chapter 1: Survival of the Fittest

**Chapter One:**** Survival of the Fittest.**

* * *

_Spring time… A season of growth and rebirth. Buds blossom into beautiful flowers and the old begins anew. Last spring, an assembled team, whom called themselves Project D, started racing everywhere outside of the Gunma prefecture. They raced areas such as Tochigi, Saitama, and Ibaraki. By the end of the summer, they had completed their goal, leaving a well-known legacy behind them…_

…_So was that the end of the story? No, not by a long shot. The team once known as Project D was slowly forming into the, "Takahashi-Fujiwara Racing Team" funded or sponsored by Marlboro Tobacco and Cigarettes. _

_Sounds like a happy ending, correct? Well why not take a look at what the lives of our lovely street racers are like now…_

* * *

Keisuke Takahashi: The former uphill ace of Project D. He was 23 years old now, a good age for the younger brother to be starting a career in the Professionals. With a yellow envelope at hand, he walked out of his room and down the hall to his older brother's door. As always, Keisuke was eager to go forth and do what he wants. Arriving at the door, he stopped and knocked, waiting for an answer before entering the room.

Ryosuke was resting in his chair at the time, and it was obvious the older Takahashi was tired. Nonetheless, he opened his eyes upon hearing the knock and sat up some. "Come in." He turned his chair to face his desk, which was and organized mess of all kinds of papers.

Keisuke entered the room. "Hey Aniki." He immediately walked straight to his brother's bed and sat down. The younger brother took note that his brother appeared to be tired…but even more than that, he realized Ryosuke appeared to be dressed for work.

After Project D's end, Ryosuke finished school and did as his father wanted; that being helping out as a doctor at the family's hospital.

"The old man needs you at work today?" Keisuke asked out of his own curiosity. It was Friday, one of the few days Ryosuke was SUPPOSED to be allowed time off.

Ryosuke sighed, "Yeah that is what he claims. Apparently a lot of people have been coming in thanks to all that spring time pollens." He turned his chair so that he was facing his younger brother. "I'm not too thrilled about it, but I do get paid overtime."

"Tch! Like you really care about that Aniki." Keisuke shifted his eyes so that his gaze was at the ground. "I guess I didn't come in here to complain though." He looked up again, then reached out and offered the yellow envelope to him. "Here, take a look at this."

Ryosuke blinked some before leaning forward in his chair and plucking the envelope out of his younger brother's hand. Glancing down at it, he took a moment to open it then a few more to read over the contents of the letter. Finally, he spoke; "Well, I'll be damned." He placed the letter back into the yellow envelope. "You're getting one hell of a start, you and Fujiwara both." He handed the envelope back to Keisuke.

The letter that was just read was a confirmation for a sponsorship. The Marlboro Tobacco Corporation was offering quite the hefty amount; meaning Keisuke and the rest of the team were pretty much set for the whole entire racing season.

"I know, I was shocked when I read the letter for myself." Keisuke replied. "We should've waited to get the FD if we would've known that. Though with a sponsor like this….This car will truly be something by the time we're done with it."

"Speaking of that, how is the FD coming along?"

"It's coming along great. Takumi and I are supposed to go out to the track and do the first trial run this evening."

'The first trial run is tonight?' Ryosuke thought to himself. 'I can't miss that. Looks like I'll have to do a little sweet talking later…' Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of the clock. 'Well, looks like I'll have to tell him later… He doesn't need anything clouding his mind right now anyways.' He stood up from his chair, "I've got to run Keisuke." He grabbed his phone off his desk and walked towards the door. "Good luck tonight."

"Oh Thanks. See ya." Keisuke watched as his older brother left him alone in the room. After about ten minutes of sitting there rather bored, he got up, deciding he would go find something to do with himself till later.

* * *

"Alright Keisuke, looks like she's all fired up and ready to go." Fumihiro told the spikey haired blonde, giving him a thumbs up.

"Great, It's about time." The younger Takahashi was currently seated in an FD; not his own, but another. This one tuned specifically for the conditions a circuit track might offer.

"We'll see you after you're finished. Fujiwara is up after you. Be sure not to tear up the clutch or anything." Fumihiro joked a bit before retreating back a few feet.

Keisuke only nodded before pulling out of the pits.

Fumihiro decided to return to the others, whom were currently enjoying the nice air-conditioned area known as The Box. "He's off." He said, announcing his return.

"Alright! Let's watch him tear up that Asphalt!" Kenta called out with excitement, annoying almost every soul in the room.

Everyone watched as Keisuke slowly began to adapt to the new feeling of his vehicle. Though evident he wasn't used to the feeling just yet, each corner Keisuke's speed was just a little faster. Before too long, he'd adapt to the feeling of this new FD.

Suddenly, someone entered the box. "How much have I missed?" It was Ryosuke.

Everyone was a little shocked to see the eldest Takahashi here. "Nothing much, he just started not too long ago. He's just starting to adapt to the new FD." Fumihiro informed him.

Ryosuke nodded and walked over to the window without another word. He wanted to watch this. It was just something that he felt he needed to do as Keisuke's older brother. It didn't take long before Ryosuke realized something: Keisuke was adapting to the new vehicle better than he had predicted. Sure, some would argue he drives an FD regularly. However, anyone with some background knowledge would know that Keisuke's FD and this one were two completely different cars. It's what's on the inside that counts.

Takumi, whom was standing right next to Ryosuke, had realized the same thing after closely studying Keisuke's every action. When Ryosuke saw him standing there, it sent chills through the older brother. 'That concentration…'

"He's improved so much..." Takumi mumbled to himself, not realizing someone was actually near him, much less watching him.

"So have you Fujiwara." Ryosuke spoke, bringing the space cadet back down to earth.

"Ah, Ryosuke-san! Sorry, I didn't realize you were there…"

He couldn't help but chuckle some, "It's quite alright, and I've been here awhile."

Takumi looked back out the window once again, "Well anyways, maybe so. I'm still impressed though."

"Have you driven the FD yet?"

Takumi shook his head, "Nope, not yet."

Ryosuke knew Takumi would have a harder time adapting to the new FD. Keisuke was used to the layout thanks to his own car, but Takumi was left at the disadvantage when it came to that. Still, the kid's adaptability level was unbelievable. There was no doubt he'd catch on quickly. "I'm sure you'll do great."

"Hey! He's back!" Kenta's voice called out, announcing the younger brother's return.

Ryosuke, along with the rest of the team, exited the box to see the blonde. Once outside, the eldest Takahashi took a moment to examine the vehicle Keisuke was making his way out of. It was an FD (obviously), yellow on the front and white on the back. The two colors were being separated by a thick black line that was running diagonally across the middle of the car. The racing number: 86.

Ryosuke really couldn't help but smile at the sight of his younger brother stepping out of such a lovely piece of machinery. It made him regret some of his past choices in life, and made him realize he missed his youth and days of glory as 'Akagi's White Comet.'

"That was quite something Keisuke." Fumihiro approached the blonde after he climbed out of the vehicle. "How did it feel?"

"It was great. Better than I expected." Keisuke replied, looking out to the other team members. When he caught sight of who he wanted, he called out, "Hey Takumi, want to come over here a second?"

Takumi blinked a few times as it dawned upon him that Keisuke wished to tell him something. "Uh, Alright, sure."

While the two team members talked some things over, Fumihiro made his way over to his former team leader known as Ryosuke. "So, is there a reason you decided to come out here tonight? Keisuke told us you wouldn't be able to make it tonight."

"I had to do quite a bit of persuading with my father for him to let me come here..." Ryosuke really did want to see his younger brother do this for the first time, but that was not the real reason he had been allowed out here tonight. "…However, I'm not just here for a good time."

"Why is that?"

Ryosuke's gaze went to where Takumi and Keisuke were chatting. "I'm sure you'll hear about it soon enough.

* * *

"You're WHAT?!" Keisuke exclaimed, making one of his well known, ridiculous shocked faces. "To who? _WHY_?!"

"Quit making that face Keisuke." Ryosuke sighed. "Father told me what I had to do."

"And you're just going to listen to him!?Aniki! You can't listen to him! Not this time!" Keisuke whined.

"Why? Because you don't want me to get married?"

Keisuke's expression only expressed pure shock at the question his older brother had just asked him. "Aniki…are you implying that you're not against this?"

Ryosuke sighed, "No, not completely. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not at all happy about this." He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

"Damn that old man…" he mumbled just loud enough for his older brother to hear. Keisuke knew exactly why his father wanted him to marry; to carry the Takahashi name. In other words… "I guess if you're ready for something like that Aniki. I cannot stop you."

"It's not that horrible you know." Ryosuke took a puff of his now lit cigarette. "At least he's letting me choose."

"Choose?" Keisuke looked rather baffled. "To choose what?"

"A wife."

"…" Keisuke wasn't sure what to say to his older brother now. Everything in his life was changing more and more every day. Something's he really didn't mind; like starting the professionals for instance. Though most everything else wasn't exactly how he liked it.

"Keisuke." Ryosuke broke the silence between them. "I want you to do me a favor.."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Live your life as you want."

"What?" Keisuke's eyes widened a bit at this statement. "Aniki…"

"I did not have the choice to live my life the way I would've liked to. That's the joy of being the first born." Ryosuke sighed. "Keisuke, I envied you. I just didn't feud over it like many would. If I could do anything, I wanted to help others achieve what they wanted in life…" He paused and took another puff of his cigarette, "Don't disappoint me Keisuke."

'What was the sudden confession for?" Keisuke thought to himself bluntly. "I won't Aniki, hell I owe you the like I have now! I wouldn't be standing here right now if not for you."

He smiled slightly, "Thanks Keisuke." Ryosuke helped his younger brother for many reasons… He had been headed in the wrong direction, yes, but even farther than that he was unwanted by their parents. Well close enough. Basically a classic 'Accident.' The lack of attention and compassion from both parents caused Keisuke to grow up and behave in the way he did. Ryosuke hated almost every day back then. He hated seeing his younger brother ruin his life and neither of their parents do anything about it. It's why he did what he did to change Keisuke's path in life. He never once regretted that choice either. "I think I should be heading back…" Ryosuke put his cigarette out using an ashtray that was sitting on a nearby table.

Keisuke nodded, "Alright. Thanks for coming out Aniki."

"No problem. See you in a bit Keisuke." Ryosuke replied, walking out of the building.

"Good luck."

* * *

'Survival of the fittest…pfft. That saying is rather ridiculous…' Ryosuke was thinking to himself as he drove his FC down the road. 'If that were true; Takumi, Keisuke, and myself would've all been dusted long ago.'

He was referring to how in nature, creatures with muscle would have the advantage in any situation. In his mind, the 'muscle' was the vehicle your opponent was driving. The technique of the driver excluded. If that was the case, and it was just car vs. car, then he couldn't name how many times he himself would've lost races. But then again, if that was really how racing worked, then what fun would that be? Everything would be predictable.

When you throw technique back into the equation though… that changes everything. It's the reason both his FC and Keisuke's FD lost to Takumi and his eight-six on Mt. Akina two years ago.

'That's why Survival of the Fittest doesn't fit into the racing world.'

Suddenly, Ryosuke's "check engine" light flashed on with a ding. His FC was really beginning to feel its age as time continued to push forward. It was getting harder and harder for him to keep up with it. He would keep this car running as long as he could though; no way was he going to let it go easily.

He flashed his hazard lights and pulled over to the side of the road. Wanting to take a look at the engine, Ryosuke pushed himself up and got out of the vehicle. If it was something serious he didn't was to risk driving the remainder of the way back to Takasaki.

He walked to the front of his FC and lifted the hood, quickly realizing he couldn't really see anything in the night time darkness…. He sighed, "Well, this isn't really convenient…' He was about to pull out his cell phone when something else caught his attention…

…The sound of an approaching car.

It was coming from down the street, and to his surprise, it slowed down and pulled over behind Ryosuke's FC.

'An MX-5?' That was right; A purple MX-5. Ryosuke watched as the driver to this rarely seen vehicle climbed out. It was a young woman, brown wavy hair and bright blue eyes. She was dressed in a green sweated and a simple pair of jeans.

"Excuse me, are you alright?" She spoke in a shy, but kind tone.

"Uh, Yeah, I'm fine. Just trying to make sure my engines alright before I finish the rest of my journey home."

She peaked around him and looked to where he had the hood popped up. "Can you see what you are doing? It looks pretty dark over there."

Ryosuke made a face, realizing how stupid all of this must sound to her. "No Sadly. I was just about to call my brother and ask for some help.

"well that's no good… " She thought about the situation for a moment before reaching a conclusion. "Oh, I've got it! How about this; I'll pull my car around and you can use the light from my headlights to see?"

Ryosuke blinked, "You would do that? I-I mean, I would deeply appreciate it."

"No worries! It's not a problem at all!" She smiled, walking over to her MX-5 and climbing inside. It had only taken her a few minutes to move the car, and she made sure he lights were on so he could use them.

Once her car was in place, Ryosuke nodded to her before directing his attention to his FC's engine.

A moment later, the girl got out and walked behind him, watching him from behind. 'That's a rotary engine…' She thought to herself. 'So he drives a Mazda too…' She decided not to point it out though; she was only a woman after all. She felt that pointing out something about that cars would seem awkward for them both.

It didn't take to long for Ryosuke to check the important areas of the engine. Once he had completed the examination, he closed the hood.

"Is everything alright?" The woman asked, taking a step forward.

He turned to face her before nodding, "Everything is fine for now. I'll take a better look at it tomorrow when it's daylight."

"That's great. I'm glad to hear it's alright." She smiled. "I'm Ganazo, Ganazo Aniko." She introduced herself with a bow.

"Takahashi Ryosuke." He bowed in return. That's when he noticed the girl had Saitama places on her MX-5. He returned to his normal position when she had as well. "I noticed you're quite a ways from home."

"Oh me? No…not really. I moved to Gunma last year. I've just been too lazy to get my plates changed." She laughed nervously. "Been really busy and all, you know what I mean?"

He nodded, "I know exactly what you mean."

"Before I get the chance to thank-you for your help?" He blinked. 'She seems to be in a hurry.'

"I'm sorry Takahashi-san, but I really must go…"

"Here..." He pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it to her. "This has my cell number on it. Call me sometime, I really do owe you…"

She took the card from him and nodded, "See you around."

"See you around Ganazo-san." Ryosuke watched as the girl got into her MX-5 and drove off. He couldn't help but think this girl was weird. Maybe she was late for a date or something? He wasn't sure of the reason, but he couldn't be more grateful that she had stopped and helped him though.

Little did he know that her real reason for bolting like that was because she thought he was extremely handsome.

* * *

**A/N: Woot! About time I got to type this! This has been on notebook paper for a month now. So glad I could do so :) please R and R! I hope you enjoyed it. **


	2. Chapter 2: Long Awaited Challange

**Chapter Two: ****Long Awaited Challenge:**

* * *

It was such a peaceful evening. Not too much going on, which Keisuke was taking advantage of. Today was Saturday; therefor, one of the few days the team was off. Unforchantly, last Saturday had been another busy one thanks to all the interviews he had to go to for sponsors….But now, he finally had time to just drive around in his beloved FD to kill time.

The street light turned red and Keisuke lightly pushed on the brakes; coming to a gentle halt. He found himself looking at cars in the other lanes…and through the ongoing traffic, sitting in the left turning lane, was a familiar looking black FD. Keisuke could feel the contrition building up inside him just at the sight of it. Why the hell would she be in Takasaki? _'Pfft, like it's any of my business what she's doing here…'_ He watched as the FD moved forward once it received a green light. He had so strain his eyes a bit, but he managed to peer inside the vehicles windows as it passed in front of him. '_I'll be damned…'_ It was exactly who he thought it was, and judging by her expression, she hadn't seen him sitting there either.

He cleared his head and focused his attention back onto the road as the street light turned green. As much as he wanted to forget everything about that woman, he found out that no matter how hard he tried his memory of her just stuck there in his mind. To him, it was quite bothersome. Now he had to wonder why she had come all the way to Takasaki. That's just great…like he needed something else to worry about. Although, he was also curious why she had come all the way from Saitama…

Again, he pushed it away, knowing it was none of his business anyways. He had enough on his plate to deal with; he didn't have time to be worrying about some girl who was no longer a part of his life anymore anyways…right?

He kept on driving, focusing on nothing else but the road that lay directly ahead of him and his FD. He refused to admit it, but deep down, a part of him missed having that woman chase him around like she used too. Even if it had been messing up his concentration a little…

* * *

She saw him, there was no doubt about it, that was him sitting there at that stoplight…Kyoko had defiantly seen that well known yellow FD. On instinct, she focused on acting like she hadn't seen him sitting there when she passed by, but the truth was, she had seen it…Plain as day. At least Ryosuke wasn't lying when he said Keisuke was going out this afternoon….That is correct; Ryosuke had called the black FD driver out to Takasaki, and because the reason remained unstated, it had Kyoko quite worried. What did the former leader of Project D want to talk to her about?

She had been told to meet him at the Takahashi residence itself. Of course, she figured the conversation would take place outside. Neither Ryosuke nor Kyoko really wanted anyone knowing she had come out here today.

Surprisingly, she found the place rather easily…. Okay, maybe it wasn't that hard. Not only was it the largest house around, but it was also the only one that fit the description of having a white FC parked outside of it, which she finally figured out the vehicle belonged to Ryosuke himself.

Kyoko was aware of the Takahashi's wealth, of course, but she tended to forget about it whenever she was around Keisuke and Ryosuke. Well, the best someone can that is, some things were just too obvious to ignore. It's just that they were so down to earth compared to other rich people who usually had their noses stuck up in the air. The Takahashi brothers were nothing like that, at least, she didn't think so anyways.

She pulled into the empty spot next to the white FC before she even noticed Ryosuke standing on the opposing side of it. She parked her FD: following that by unbuckling herself and exiting the car.

Ryosuke's thought process was disrupted upon the sound of a car door shut. He blinked and looked at the woman whom was in front of him. Not a whole lot had changed about her in the past year. Her hair was a few inches longer, but overall, she was still the same old Kyoko. Well, on the outside aspect of it anyways… "I must thank you for coming all the way out here today Iwase-san. I do Hope I did not spoil any plans you may have had."

"It's no problem, the only plans I had was to make love to my TV today." She smiled some, attempting to perk up some. "So, gonna cut to the chase, why'd you call me out here?"

"A couple reasons, mainly concerning a certain someone; that being my younger brother."

"…" Kyoko found herself looking away from Ryosuke before she could even really think about anything. "Why bother? He doesn't wish to have anything to do with me."

'_As I thought, Keisuke really has either said or done something to hurt this woman. That's why she had just suddenly stopped coming around. This explains a lot….but…' _Ryosuke walked over to Kyoko and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

She quickly looked at him as soon as he touched her.

"I can assure you of this; Keisuke doesn't know what he wants. He makes these rash, stupid decisions that usually come back to bite him later. I've been watching him recently, and it appears something's been bothering him. I've got a pretty good feeling that the reason for that if you. I think he feels guilty."

Kyoko's gaze did not move from its current position on the ground.

"I'm just letting you know; However, I'm not trying to change your views or opinion on my younger brother. So don't get me wrong, I'm not just telling you this for his sake, but of yours and the people around the both of you."

"How do you know he's worrying about me?" Kyoko's eyes flicked up to the older Takahashi that was standing in front of her. "I'm sure that there are many other more important things he could be worrying about."

Ryosuke narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't consider yourself unimportant." He sighed and looked at his FC for a moment. "When you live under the same roof and see each other every day, you tend to understand each other without words. That's how I know."

Kyoko nodded, and continued on into a somewhat different topic. "I heard about your little predicament earlier today. I'm gonna guess you didn't even know people know about it, but they do. I'm going to go ahead and ask you this; does this meeting have anything to do with that?"

Wait, so everyone knew about that now? Great… Ryosuke returned his gaze to her and decided to be straightforward with her. "Yes, it does. He hates the idea of me getting married. Of course, I can understand why he'd feel that way. I'm the only one he's really formed a strong attachment too. If my theory is correct, once I am married, he'll come looking for you."

"Why me?" She asked, obviously confused.

"Because he knows, or thinks, you'll listen to him. You're the only one I can see him going to."

Kyoko let this sink in for a moment before asking another question: "Alright, I get that much, but if you're so confident that he'll come to me after you're settled, then why tell me about it now?"

"Because you've been upset for all this time." He laid it out on the table for her. "Keisuke has never really like or respected women like most men would. His views are slightly different. To know that he allowed you around him all that time, excluding his race with you, it tells me he likes you more than other women he's met. He possibly even trusts you. If he came to you without you knowing the situation, then you may not understand."

"You're wrong about that you know."

Ryosuke's face revealed some confusion, "Pardon me?"

"If he came to me, I would've listened, regardless of my own personal feelings from the past. It would be obvious to me that Keisuke needed someone to talk to, otherwise, why would he come to me?" Kyoko did realize Ryosuke was only trying to help her and his younger brother, but it was evident that Keisuke had never told him much about her and how she was, so how could he just assume she would just up and reject him like every other bitch would? "No offense Ryosuke-san, but next time you consult someone like this, please have your facts straight first…"

Ryosuke was in quite a bit of shock. This woman was really something quite unique. He had basically been told off by her, and the sad part was that she was right. He had assumed her personality was a lot like the other girls Keisuke used to bring home. He was defiantly wrong. Well, so much for beings one of those friends who can help with relationships and such. He had never been very good at that anyways. "My apologies Iwase-san, I did not mean to offend you."

Kyoko let out a sigh, "Don't worry about it, alright? Keisuke-san will do as he wants. No one will ever change that, not even you Ryosuke-san." She was referring more to Keisuke's love life, but it applied to other areas as well.

'_She's got a good head on her shoulders…' _Ryosuke couldn't help but think. Keisuke would be a fool if he let this one slip out of his reach. "You're right, but it does help to try to steer him in the right direction."

Kyoko nodded and smiled lightly, "Very true." She turned her attention back to her black FD now. "Maybe I should head on back…would hate to be seen here."

"That's fine." He stated in response. "I'm sure this will not be the last time we exchange words."

"Thanks Ryosuke-san." She smiled some as she opened the door to her FD. "Yeah, hopefully anyways." She got into the black vehicle and, after a brief moment, she started the engine then drove away.

Ryosuke watched the back end of her FD until it vanished when she turned the corner. She was defiantly different from most over women, and not just because she worked on cars and like street racing. However, maybe that's why she seemed to be the perfect match for his younger brother. He would never meet another girl like that one in a million years. Not one who will listen to him and understand him as well as she could.

* * *

Takumi focused on the road in front of his rather intensely. He was due to meet Keisuke and the rest of the gang at a nearby bar in Gunma. Perhaps for once that's just what he needed; a drink. After what had happened the previous night with Natsuki anyways…

* * *

'_Friday night already…' Takumi thought to himself as he drove his eight-six to Gunma's train station. 'I wonder how school has gone for her. It's been about a year or so now…sure feels longer.' He had made arrangements over the phone with his high school friend to meet her when she returned to Gunma. He figured it be nice to see her with all the time that had passed. _

_Takumi pulled up next to the curb and waited for her there, scanning the people that were passing by. _

"_Oh, Takumi-kun!"_

_Takumi turned as her heard Natsuki's voice through the windows of his car. What he saw about caused him to have a heart attack right then and there:_

_Natsuki had a small baby in her arms._

_He pulled himself together in a hurry before opening his door and stepping out of his eight-six. He took a deep breath and let it out. "Hey, Natsuki." He said when she had reached the area where he was standing. _

"_Hey." She smiled. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"_

_He nodded, "It sure has." His eyes rested on the small child that was wrapped in a light pink fleece blanket in Natsuki's arms. "Natsuki, what happened to you?"_

"_Huh? Uh…" Natsuki's eyes fell down to her little girl. "She's not yours, obviously…."_

"_That's not what I'm asking, so do you mind explaining?"_

_She sighed, returning her gaze to him, even if it was only for a moment. "I do not see a point in hiding anything from you…Shortly after I moved to Tokyo, an older student started to like me. When he confronted me about it, I told him I wasn't interested….but…" She never finished the statement. _

"_I see…" She didn't have to say it for Takumi to get what happened. "I'm sorry Natsuki."_

"_Don't apologize Takumi-kun. It wasn't your fault; you know that as well as I do. It was my decision to go to Tokyo in the first place."_

_It didn't matter what she said, he still felt guilty for not being able to help her. He looked at the small bundle in her arms again. "What was school like for you after that?" _

"_It was rather difficult, but thanks to the help of the professors and a fellow classmate, I made it through with flying colors. I came back to Gunma to look for a job to support me and little Sora here…" She smiled at the infant in her arms, pulling the blanket closer to the child. _

'_Sora…that's a pretty name.' Takumi looked at the young child again before looking at Natsuki once again. "I'm sure it is very difficult for you both."_

_Natsuki nodded, "It is, but that's why we're returning to Gunma. We're hoping for an easier life._

"_Just be sure to take care of yourselves." Suddenly, something dawned upon him. "Uh, Hey Natsuki?"_

"_Huh? Oh, what is it Takumi-kun?"_

"_You do…have a place to stay…don't you?"_

"_Eh-"Natsuki looked down to the ground, then back down to her child. "It's that obvious, is it?"_

_Takumi sighed, realizing he didn't have too much of a choice now. She had a baby to take care of now. He couldn't let her live out on the streets till she got back up on her feet. "Hm. Well, you've left me with no other choice."_

_Natsuki blinked a few times. "What are you talking about?"_

"_You're coming to stay with me till you can get yourself together again. No 'ands or buts' about it. I'm getting an apartment of my own in the next week and it'll be big enough for all of us." _

_He face lit up in protest; "N-now what just a dog gone second! I didn-"_

"_Didn't I say no 'ands or buts about it'?" _

"_Sure you did, but I'm not shutting up." Natsuki said sternly. "I cannot let you do that Takumi-kun. Not only would it be taking advantage of you, but you just got your own goal accomplished! You're a professional racer now…you need to focus on that more than anything right now…"_

_Takumi sighed again, "Natsuki, you seem to be forgetting that I care about you as a friend more than I would ever care about my career. Sure, it's important, but making sure you're not out on the street comes first. Plus, what about Sora? What's best for her?" _

"…" _Natsuki was stuck in-between a rock and a hard place again. What else could she do? She wasn't going to get another self-sacrificing offer like this again…. If it wasn't for Sora, she wouldn't even consider accepting…but… "Fine, but I'm helping with all the bills and payments so don't be thinking I'm mooching off you or anything! And-"_

"_That's fine Natsuki." He smiled some. "You're acting like this is something I offered because I was forced to. I assure you this; I offered you a place to stay because I wanted too. Just get in the car and we'll go. I'll explain the situation to my dad once we get there."_

* * *

This was a huge change for him. Along with becoming a professional, he now had a women and her three month old child moving into his new apartment with him. If Mika was still around, he would be in quite the predicament.

He knew he was doing the right thing, but he was unsure on if it was the smartest choice he had ever made. He decided that, for now, he would keep this whole ordeal under wraps. He needed to focus on the team more than anything right now, not his and Natsuki's past love life.

He pulled into the bars parking lot. Upon spotting Keisuke's FD, along with the rest of the teams vehicles', Takumi parked his eight-six next to them.

"Hey, look, he did come after all." Keisuke mumbled, seeing the eight-six pull into the parking space next to his own yellow FD. He was currently on the outside of the front wall to the bar, enjoying himself a nice smoke.

"Well, well. I guess you were right Keisuke-san." Kenta mumbled back. "I really didn't think he'd show up."

The two members of the team watched as their fellow comrade got out of the car like a robot set to auto-pilot. It was like he wasn't even really there. It became obvious that something was up with Takumi the second he closed his driver's side door.

Keisuke recognized the look on his face; not only had he seen it before, but he could relate to it thanks to a certain girl he had spotted that afternoon. Now he realized the true reason Fujiwara had actually shown up tonight.

Takumi approached them.

"Hey, Takumi! Mind coming over here and talking for a few?" Keisuke called out to him, pulling the 'space cadet' from his thoughts.

"Oh, uh, sure I guess." He said quietly.

"Kenta, why don't you go inside with the others for a while, alright?"

Kenta opened his mouth to protest, but quickly caught sight of the look on Keisuke's face and changed his mind. "Alright." He did as he was told.

Keisuke, after his disciple was inside, then returned his attention back to Takumi whom had already spaced out again. "Takumi!"

He snapped out of it, "Uh? What?"

Keisuke through him one of his well-known dirty looks, "What the hell is wrong with you? You need to get yourself together man! I've never seen you like this before."

"Look, a lot happened, alright? It's not any of your business so just leave it be."

"To Hell with 'it's none of my business!'" Keisuke said rather loudly before rubbing his temple. Once he had calmed himself down some, he sighed; "Sometimes it helps to talk about it anyways, even if you do not want too. Plus, I have something I wish to talk to you about as well…"

Takumi raised a brow. "What do you have to say to me?"

"I'll tell you what; I'll tell you after you tell me why you're acting so damn strange all of the sudden." Keisuke crossed his arms, shifting his weight from his right foot to his left; never once taking his eyes off of Takumi.

Takumi made a face, but nonetheless listened to Keisuke anyways. He explained the whole situation with Natsuki to him; starting all the way back to when the two were still in high school and continued until he reached present events.

"Damn…I didn't even think these kinds of things happened outside of movies and such…"

"You're telling me. All of this said and I still cannot seem to wrap my head around it." Takumi leaned up against the front of the building. "Talking to you about this did help though. Thank you Keisuke."

"It's no problem." He shrugged.

"Oh yeah..." Takumi remembered, "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Oh. That…I-"

"Yo, Guys! Are you two ever gonna come in here or what?" Kenta popped his head out the front entrance.

Keisuke looked at Kenta then back to Takumi, communicating with his expressing that they would continue this conversation later.

Takumi nodded to show he understood.

"Alright Kenta, you win. We'll come inside now." Keisuke started to lead the way into the bar.

Takumi followed.

"What the Hell? Why are all the lights out?" Keisuke said after the door closed behind them. Kenta had suddenly disappeared, and suddenly, the two members of the team got a suspicious feeling. "I'm not sure I like this…"

"Get them!" The lights suddenly flipped on.

Both members were suddenly bombarded with all kinds of different alcoholic beverages; ranging anywhere from a beer to a margarita.

"….KENTA!" Keisuke called out loudly, knowing he was the evil mastermind behind the whole thing. No questions asked.

"What? I can't have any fun while everyone else is drunk?" He laughed, a smug smirk still planted on his face.

"….I smell like a strawberry dacre …." Takumi said, realizing he smelled like a fruity cocktail drink. Now he had to wonder who was drinking that… "Why did you guys do that?"

"It's congratulation." Fumihiro explained, trying not to slur his words together. "You were supposed to be drunk first, but we just couldn't wait any longer! We couldn't wait to see your reactions!"

"Yup! And they were priceless!" Kenta laughed, and as did the rest of the team, including the two drenched victims.

* * *

A few hours slipped by. The gang was wrapping up their drunken fun and decided it best to not drive home that night. Some were sober enough to walk into town to get a hotel room. Others were lucky to make it to their cars.

"Hey, Keisuke…you coherent yet?" Takumi mumbled, leaning against the front of the building where they had been earlier.

"…Somewhat, why?"

"What was it you were going to tell me? Earlier I mean…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Before we were called inside?" Takumi looked at him. '_Is he too drunk to remember?'_

"Oh that…I think I remember now. I wanted to challenge you to a rematch." He took a drink of a bottled water he had in his hand.

Takumi almost chocked on air. "Excuse me?"

"On Akina, next Saturday. Meet me there at 10 O'clock sharp." Keisuke looked at him. "This is something I have to do before I can move on into the Professional racing world."

Takumi knew this day would come, but he wasn't expecting it to be proposed to him tonight of all nights. His reasons did make perfect sense though…to be honest, this race needed to happen. He finally nodded, "Alright, I'll be there. Don't expect it to be easy."

"Oh don't worry; I don't expect it to be, but same goes to you Fujiwara." Keisuke said, forcing himself to smile. This would be one of the most complicated tasks yet, but if he could beat Takumi, he should have no problem in the professional world of racing. "We'll discuss the rules when we get there, so be thinking about it." He look at his FD with a yawn. "I think I'm done for tonight. See ya Takumi." He walked towards his car.

"Uh, alright, I think I'll do the same." He replied, walking in the direction of his eight-six.

Keisuke climbed into his FD, and immediately the image of the Black FD he saw earlier popped into his mind. "….." Perhaps he should just go to sleep and ignore it. He had no reason to be thinking about her. It had almost been a year now, she had no doubt moved on by now. Even if she hadn't, he was still busy. If he loses this next race with Takumi though…that is the key factor in the equation. At least, that was his excuse.

* * *

**A/N:**** Yes! I finally did it! xD I made it to a computer! Ahh...I feel better now. I actually have artworks to each of these chapters...maybe i'll post the Links someday...Anywho, thank you guys so much for sticking with me and reading! I'll update as soon as I possibly can! Thanks guys! Reviews appreciated. **


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